Chimerical
by HappySlasher
Summary: "No! No! Doc…please…I…I need to see Seth and Roman! They exist I know they do!"
1. Chapter 1

The idea is all the work of the wonderful **GhostAsylum** and her friend. I just put her epic RP in story form. :P This was super fun to write! And i'm so honored that it stemmed from _"In the Asylum"_. Gahh! I love her ^^ and I'm so happy she loves her gift_. _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and nobody thought I...no, nobody.**

Anyway on to the story!

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Their smiles.

Gorgeous.

Dean could barely contain his own grin whenever he looked up to the men watching over him. The tall protective figure in black was extraordinarily handsome with his long flowing hair, but even more so, was the sense of protection he conveyed. The other figure, while shorter, was just as affectionate with his giddy gapped-tooth smile. The blonde strip of hair that flowed over his shoulder shined golden in the sun that rarely reared its head over the psych ward. Then again, this was one of the weekly days out so Dean was free of the confiding walls if only for an hour or so. In the park just outside the ominous hospital, Ambrose and many other patients gained a slight taste of liberation. Some chose to wander aimlessly while others chose to relish in the chance for exercise. Dean chose to take pleasure in the company of the two gentlemen that stayed with him constantly.

Roman and Seth; that was their self proclaimed names. Even that was gorgeous.

None of the other patients ever asked what had his attention as he sat on the park bench. Declared a lost cause long ago, very few even bothered to hold conversation with the man; however, Dr. Wade Barrett was always interested in the peculiarities of the younger man. He even found Dean a little…amusing at times.

Like now.

Wade strolled over to Ambrose, white coat blowing slightly behind him. The summer breeze was inviting for once. Running his fingers through his hair, the doctor smirked down at Dean. He hadn't even acknowledged Barrett. So wrapped up in his own world, he was. Wade crouched and followed Dean's gaze. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "What are you gawking at again, Ambrose?" There was no answer so Wade persisted. With a winning smile he shook the shoulder and pointed outwards. "Your little friends are back, aren't they?" The goofy grin on Dean's face only grew as Barrett finished. "I take it they're what's got you all giddy, huh?" The older man stood back to his feet and goaded Ambrose further. "Go on, wave to 'em."

The suggestion was easily accepted and Dean waved back so kindly, so excitedly, so untouched by the hardship of the situation he was placed in. Ambrose was never happier than in moments with Seth and Roman, Wade observed. As it neared the end of the park visit, many of the patients were ushered back to the building by staffers.

Barrett tapped the man and motioned for him to prepare for departure. "The clouds will be rolling in soon. It's time to go back in."

Dean's distress became slightly evident as his smile waned. His eyes never left their fixed spot from the open field while he stood. "The Tall In White are always trying to keep us apart, Wade."

"I know," The doctor sighed, placing an understanding hand on the man's shoulder only for it to be slapped away.

"And I know that's why they stick me with those needles, Wade! You and I both know what they're trying to do!" Dean fired back with fury but calmed himself, seeing the unsure look on Wade's face. Ambrose sagged visibly, melancholy written in his eyes. "Roman and Seth tell me I'm different from the other Grays- that I don't need that stuff- and I believe them."

Wade couldn't think of his next move. Reassuring words were somewhat lost in this situation. Ultimately, he decided to lead the man away. "I do too, Ambrose. I do too."

:::

With Ambrose tossing and turning, the storm raged on against the barred up window. Lighting cracked through the thick heady air as heavy rain pelted the outside world, saturating the darkness beyond the confinement. Inside, a storm was running rampant as well. As he lied in the bed, Dean smashed the white pillow against his ears. He was surrounded in the suddenly small swelter of a room. Every little sound was muted and in its stead there was a cacophony of whispers. General comments, gossip, threats: all caused him to restlessly shift his eyes back and forth against the cold brick wall parallel to his bed. Even more unsettling was the disturbing feeling that someone had found their way into the cage he called a room. Among the darkness their footsteps were guided, confident. There was no hesitation to the figure moving closer and closer, slower and slower. It dragged on, the atmosphere chocking Dean to near asphyxiation until he had to roll over, desperate to discover his tormentor. And there in the pitch blackness, stood a shadowy figure accompanied by many others who stood by its side. Even against the rest of the forms, the sinister figure was far more prevalent with his deviously maddening grin. Dean sat up noiselessly and stared bug-eyed. He didn't move, didn't breath, unaware of it himself. Then, with a loud cackle, the figures all raced across the room towards Ambrose the remaining distance.

Dean screamed to the top of his lungs, lunging backwards on his bed and subsequently crashing his back against the brick. Too far gone to even take notice to the pain, Ambrose swung endlessly at the hands that seemed to grab at him, kicked at the devilish villains for reprieve. Freed momentarily, he snatched up his pillow hearing the voices getting louder and louder. He covered his ears again; sure the shadows would swallow his defenseless self whole. He could feel their greedy grasp clutching his neck. Vying for help, he delivered a final pained screech and shut his eyes tightly.

Then everything ceased.

Again there was peace.

Again there was quiet.

Ambrose sat for a moment before carefully opening his eyes in moderation. The forms had disappeared. The voices were diminished. It was just him in his room once more as the rain came down. Already in a cold sweat, he had no plans of lying back down. To only further aid his cause, the door squeaked open as the lock twisted noisily. Both piercing sounds were uneasy. Unsettling. All Dean could do was stare in alert. Were the shadows returning? He gripped the sheets in anticipation for the next and tensed when the sound of a giggle bounced loudly through his room. Much to his surprise however, he was greeted by the two-tone haired cutie from earlier, his Seth.

The smaller man waved to Dean excitedly as he stood in the dimly lit doorway. Dean couldn't stop the skeptical smile he threw back as he waved as well. Seth giggled again, the once eerie sound becoming warming at Ambrose's recognition. He crooked a finger eagerly to the other and ran out the room.

Disbelievingly Dean watched until Seth repeated his demand to follow. After that, Ambrose had no choice but to run after the man. He escaped the threshold of his room's doorway and stopped, basking in the unusually dim hallways. Creepy but not worth noticing. He looked around curiously until he heard the loud stormy rain pattering against actual earth. Next he felt a breeze all the way down to his bare feet, tracing the air to the open doors at the end of the hall. Not only did he find Seth but Roman as well, both standing under the umbrella in the larger man's hands. The black clothing they wore nearly blended with the nightscape aside from the wall of pelting rain.

Excitement seemed to course through Dean and it only grew as he was nudged over by Roman's simple head nod. Just as he started his steps, mischievous grins graced Roman and Seth's lips and they ran outside with the umbrella. "Hey, get back here and wait for me!"Ambrose guffawed inwardly while he raced towards the men. Appreciatively, Dean closed his eyes to take in the cool feeling of the rain against his skin. It had been so long since he'd freely been out in a downpour. He was hyped on pure adrenaline at that point. By the time he caught up, his feet squished with newly formed mud and he was soaked to the bone. Many locks of auburn hair covered his eyes and his gray clothing clung to him for life.

Dean couldn't see much in front of him but there was a deep rumbling chuckle from Roman as he moved a large hand to sweep the mop that curtained Ambrose's face. He grinned and cupped the paler man's cheek. "Are you awake now?" Ambrose returned the laughter wholeheartedly and Seth dragged both away to stand under a ledge of the building, guarding them from the rain a bit better than the umbrella.

Seth pushed his hair back over his shoulder and moved what hair of Dean's Roman had missed. "You look like a wet dog."

"Shut up," Dean scoffed jokingly, shoving Seth into the rain momentarily before the man scrambled back to safety. Those few seconds alone had the smaller man lightly drenched. The pout he wore was too cute to take seriously. "Now you look like a wet dog too."

"Yeah…" Seth sighed slightly before turning to Roman. The silent man returned the look until he felt Dean also gazing at him. He looked between the two of them suspiciously. Before he knew it, he was shoved out into the rain as well, Seth snatching the umbrella as Dean pushed.

"You little…!" Roman emerged from the cold downpour, in a similar state as his friends. He attempted to swish his wet hair away from his vision but the long strands clung to his face and neck. The scene was priceless, aiding in the pleased uproar of chuckles the men let out.

"I guess we're all wet dogs now." Dean sighed as he came down from his laughter, a sound unfamiliar to even his own ears. "But I knew you both were coming. You kinda worried me back there with all the creeping around though. Thought maybe it was another Tall In White. I skipped on the medication today so they're gunning for me."

Seth pulled his wet hair back and smiled. "Sorry about that. I had to be quiet. Didn't need anyone waking up." Tilting his head thoughtfully, the younger man added. "Not that too many of the patients sleep at all."

Roman nodded in agreement. "Very true." He lightly poked Dean to inquire. "That doctor in the park…Barrett, right? He wasn't giving you a hard time was he?" The threatening tone was brisk as it underscored the man's overprotective question. "You were arguing with him earlier, weren't you?"

"No, actually. Barrett's cool. He's the only one who doesn't get off on sticking us up with needles." Ambrose sneered and leaned against the wall. "Only one that acknowledges that you two are here."

Roman and Seth eyed Dean worriedly; the only sound resonating through the air was the still heavy rain pattering around them.

"Well hey," Changing the mood, Seth grabbed Dean's hands and tugged him. "The only one who needs to acknowledge us is you. Nothing else matters." With a hard pull, Seth dragged Ambrose out into the rain with him, spinning rhythmically and humming a joyful tune. He let go of Dean to outstretch his arms and yell to the heavens. "Nobody else in the world matters!"

When Seth finished his proclamation, he turned with his drenched infectious smile. Dean returned the grin to mirror the performance and announce to the skies. "Nobody else matters to me more than Seth and Roman!" He let his eyes view both men before dropping his arms. "Nobody." The simple words held a clear passion that could only make Seth attempt to hide the tinge of pink spreading across his cheeks.

Roman, on the other hand, looked all too pleased with the confession, choosing to call the men back to his side in the dry haven. "Get over here before you two get a cold. I don't know if I'll be able to take care of both of you."

Obediently, Seth and Dean hustled to the shelter, clinging to Roman under his umbrella. Together they strolled reluctantly back to the exit doors of the building. Midstride, Roman stopped his walk, domino affecting the others. They looked to him curiously before the man stole soft pecks on the lips of both Seth and Dean. It was enough to get both blushing again and enough to satisfy Roman for the night. With that accomplished, they continued towards the hospital.

Once they were at the entryway, Roman untangled Ambrose from his grip. He ushered the man to step through the double doors. Dean was far more disinclined to do so- especially with this nagging eerie feeling he got with each step- but he knew he needed to. As he stepped inside, he gazed back at Roman and Seth. Their eyes already saw his question coming. Pleadingly he hung off the knob, casting puppy dog eyes at his friends. "Can't you stay in my room tonight?"

Seth and Rome laughed at the question, having heard it many times before. The larger man gave a knowing look and pointed. "You know the people in there would go berserk if they found us in the morning."

"And it's not like we're easy to hide." Seth nudged Roman, "especially not the big guy here."

Ambrose heard a small sound, like footprints behind him and turned quickly, shaking it off and figuring it to just be dead air messing with him. He averted his attention back to more important matters. A small chuckle escaped him and he shook his head. "I guess you're right."

"Aren't I always?" Taking very few steps, the shortest hugged Ambrose tightly. Seth kissed his cheek before reconnecting himself to Roman's arm, Roman advancing to follow Seth's actions.

Roman pressed his forehead to Dean's and commanded sweetly. "Go. Change. Sleep. Now." The leviathan rubbed Dean's shoulder and turned on his way. Waving behind him, he ushered Seth along.

Seth nodded to Dean and ran, turning to give his final goodbyes. "We'll be back through in the morning so wait for us!" With the warning thrown, the two men strode away in the rain.

Ambrose slowly closed the door when they were out of eyesight, not being able to wipe the grin off his face. Those two were really something else. Something good. Something perfect. Dean chocked out a silent squeal of excitement and raced as soundlessly as possible back to his room. The morning just couldn't come soon enough.

Upon reaching his room, Dean stood in the space. It looked much more like a room than the void it was before his friends' arrival. Even the lack of light wasn't as prevalent. Thunder boomed from the window outside but Dean faced the sound head on. He ran to the window and stared out into the rain, a smile easing on his cheeks. Closing his eyes, he lied down on his bed and began to hum the joyous tune he remembered from Seth. The peace from the small action was far greater than any discomfort a storm could throw at him. He was on cloud nine and nothing could bring Dean down.

Or it seemed.

In the midst of his leisure, a hoard of nurses abruptly bombarded the room. Before Ambrose could think to move, hands were yanking him away and down the hall he had just ventured out into. The grabby appendages of the nurses jerked him every way: gripping his hair tightly, yanking his still sodden clothes, forcing his limbs to contort to their design. The only thing Dean could manage was releasing the ear-wrenching screams of alert that built up inside him. The commotion caused inquest from the other patients as they fearfully peeked out from their rooms. All the struggle, the bodies, the noises: it drew them back into hiding. They knew what was to come next. Ambrose was a lost cause after all.

The nurses reached their destination too soon as Dean was tossed to the feet of the head doctor in the hospital. Notoriously ruthless, Dr. Randy Orton enjoyed his job more than any other staffer. He enjoyed it so much in fact, he usually wore a self-serving smirk while he did it. Ambrose immediately felt a chill run down his spine, recognition of the man washing over him.

"Awww, Ambrose." Randy shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. "Otunga, one of my nurses, said he saw you out of your room tonight." Orton hawked intently on Dean's petrified eyes as they bulged. "Said you were standing by the door talking, maybe, to someone. Who were you talking to, Ambrose?"

Dean gulped down the sickening panic raging in his body, quivering as he answered. "T-they were…I…I was…"

"Who?" Randy repeated all too calmly.

Ambrose clenched his eyes shut and yelled. "Seth and Roman! I was with Seth and Roman! They came to take me out!"

"Oh…?" Orton asked offhandedly. He stared at Dean in analysis before his signature grin spread, revealing his abnormally pointy ivories. "Out huh? Roman and Seth?" Randy reached in his coat pockets and pulled out a heavy syringe along with a numbing dose of medication.

Seeing the tool, Dean flew to his feet in a rampage, trying to escape, but he was easily bound by the surrounding nurses. "No! No! Doc…please…I…I need to see Seth and Roman! They exist I know they do!"

Randy moved as calmly as he always did, filling the needle with a large dosage of liquid. He plucked the instrument to check its potency before advancing on Dean. With the hand that wasn't occupied, Randy grabbed Dean's jaw roughly. The grip contradicted the eerie grin that didn't leave Orton's face, but it aligned perfectly with the words that slid so smoothly out of the man's throat. "Listen, you little worm. I don't allow misconduct in my hospital- especially not from some punk who's probably better off dead. And believe me, you'd be better off. As much as I enjoy every minute of running through you, piercing you with my syringe, there's not enough medication in the world to cure a basket case like you."

Through gritted teeth, Dean pleaded. "I don't need medication! Roman and Seth-"

"Roman and Seth can't save you, Dean. They don't exist."

"They do exist! They're real! Seth and Roman are-" The rest of the sentence broke off into a loud anguished gasp as Orton shoved the needle deep into Ambrose's neck. Dean could feel the pressure of the medication forcing its way pass his skin and into his veins. He convulsed on instinct and nearly jerked his body away from the object, but before too long his vision began to fail. His balance began to diminish rapidly and his limbs were on the brink of debilitation. One moment he was on his feet then he blinked and was on the cold ground below him. He balled up to defend against the world his senses couldn't detect, simply muttering cries of help. "Roman…Seth…" Final pleas, before unconsciousness took over.

Randy stood over his patient and smirked wider. He wiped a stray piece of wet hair off Dean's forehead and scoffed. "This is how I like my patients. He's so much better like this, isn't he Wade?" Orton glanced over his shoulder. Bruised and bleeding, Dr. Barrett held himself, agony evident on his face. "Wade…you don't look so good. Maybe you should lie down for a minute. I know… why don't you join Ambrose? You like him a lot, right? Yeah…you two should really get to know one another down there on the floor."

Just as Orton's words escaped him, Wade fell from his feet. He looked over to Dean, sorrow filling his eyes. "Ambrose I…please f-forgive… me" The apology died as the man blacked out.

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I love the alternate look at mentally unstable Dean! This may be continued so stay tuned for more great stuff to pop out of her mind!


	2. Chapter 2

And there is more! GhostAsylum is the best ^^! I enjoy writing this for her!

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"I'm Dr. Orton and it's a pleasure to show you around this morning. If you have any questions at any time feel free to ask." Randy brightly greeted with a pleasantness contradictory of his actions the previous night. He began his guided tour through the corridors, starting off with giving a little back story to the patients as they passed their rooms. Behind him followed four young men, all interning doctors. Alex Riley stood at the head of the group, bright eyed and curious. Cody Rhodes, also eager, held his writing pad open, prepared for informative notes. The shortest among them, Daniel Bryan, folded his arms across his chest in observation. He was by far the most unnerved by his surroundings. Lastly, lagging at the rear was Johnny Curtis. The man was so far out of the group mentally that he barely heard anything Randy mentioned. It wasn't that he didn't want to pay attention; he was just particularly preoccupied with a strange feeling. It only intensified as the pack came to a halt.

Randy placed his hands on his hips instructively and pointed. "This is a learning experience for all of you. We can't save every patient and some of them need to be dealt with accordingly. Case and point: Ambrose right here."

"Ambrose...?" Johnny repeated the name to himself mostly. That name. Why did it ring a bell?

Randy continued on. "Yes, Ambrose. The patient has schizophrenia which isn't particularly noteworthy but he can get himself out of securely locked situations with the help of…friends." Air quotes are placed on the last word. "For his sake, we had to take care of his need the best way we saw fit." Sighing, the doctor rubbed his forehead. "He's one of the lost causes, but luckily you get to pick who you're assigned to."

Johnny eyed the door, feeling the undying need to peek inside. The name Ambrose sounded far too familiar for his tastes. "May I?" He questioned, latching on to the peak window. Getting a shrug from Orton, Curtis pulled back the little metal slide window in the door and peered in the room. Immediately, he noticed the blankly depressed set of blues looking back at him. Tears ran without restrictions over the soft curve of the patient's cheeks as he didn't struggle against the chocking straightjacket. The sight was shocking causing Johnny to gasp. Snapping into action, he shut the slide window and covered his mouth to stop anymore surprised sounds.

"I told you," Orton shrugged, "it gets grim. If you can't handle the heat then-"

"We can handle it," Cody interjected. "Dr. Barrett assigned us here for a reason. We're ready for anything."

Daniel squinted his eyes in thought and looked around. "Where is Dr. Barrett anyway?"

With a simple wave, the doctor gave the answer offhandedly. "He left."

The young interns couldn't help but look around at each other questioningly, skeptically. Riley leaned over to whisper between the others. "Does he mean stepped out, like, left for good?"

"Come along, boys," Dr. Orton snapped the others back to reality and ushered them along. "There's more to see."

Still, Johnny couldn't get the last image out his mind. Ambrose. There was something about Ambrose that he needed to look into. As he walked with the group up the hall, he started lagging once more. This time, however, Randy stopped. "Curtis, you're holding us up."

Johnny but his lip and pointed back. "Can I just..." He searched for his wording and started again. "Ambrose... Is it alright if I study up on him?"

It was only a flash- sudden,quick- but a bitterly disgusted look crossed Randy's face before he turned his back and shrugged, scoffing. "That's fine. I said you'd be able to pick your patient, didn't I?" He continued to advance forward on the tour, not waiting for the others to follow.

While Johnny took off back towards the room from before, he heard a call to him from Cody. "Meet us in the break room when you're all done!" Throwing a hand in the air as confirmation, Curtis continued on.

In a matter of minutes he was back at Ambrose's door. Spaced out, he eyed the metal. Strong, cold metal. So confining. So binding. He couldn't imagine how anyone could live like that. Left with the deplorable thought, Johnny looked beside the door on the wall where files and charts were arranged on a small shelf. He pulled out the medical chart there and eyed it over carefully:

Patient number: #345-2974-1278

Patient Name: Dean Ambrose

The age had been scratched out vigorously with a deep red pen. Curtis examined the information curiously but continued his reading.

Diagnosis: Severe Schizophrenia

Illness Summary: Claims to see reoccurring people; two unknown men. Patient has named them "Seth" and "Roman". Patient not known to have past relations to the either men.

Recommended Treatment: Xeplion Syringes

Placing the chart under his wing, Johnny sighed sadly, his arms dropping to his sides. After reading everything, he couldn't help but let his mind drift back to the memories of his youth. He knew that name sounded too familiar. Ambrose. He knew Ambrose.

:::

_"Are you okay?" Johnny could tell the red eyes had been wrung dry from the weeping eight year old. During a funeral procession there wasn't much else to be done. "I'm sorry about your parents..."_

_"Don't be."_

_"Are you going to live with your grandparents now?"_

_"Nah, they're too old to take care of me. The guy in the suit said they're going to find me a new mommy and daddy."_

_"Oh." Trying to be optimistic, Curtis sat down in the grass beside his friend. Dean didn't inch away, just allowing the slight closeness. "Hey, if you want, you can stay at my house. Mom says we don't have extra space but all I have to do is hide you in my room like I did that kitty last week. I'll even give you the bed while I sleep under it."_

_"That's all right, Johnny." Ambrose sniffled, resting his slightly reddened cheeks in his palms. "Don't worry about me so much."_

_Curtis leaned to Dean's shoulder and looked at the grass in melancholy. "I just want to make sure you're okay."_

_"I know but don't."_

_The young child moped from the rejection, piddling with the tie around his neck. Quiet moments fell between the two until Curtis couldn't hold back his tears._

_Immediately Ambrose piped up with surprise. "What? Why are you crying?"_

_"I'm trying to help you but you keep pushing me away."_

_"Huh?" With shocked confusion Dean flailed his arms around in explanation. "No, Johnny! I didn't mean it like that!"_

_Curtis looked down at his tie again. "...I just don't want you to be sad." He wiped little specks of water from his eyes until Dean took him by the shoulders._

_"Trust me. I'm fine and I'm going to be alright." Ambrose shook the eight year old lightheartedly and laughed. "Really."_

_Curtis poked out his lip in a pout. "How do you know? What if they send you really scary parents? What is you get mean brothers and sisters?"_

_"Johnny, I'm not worried about any of that. You want to know why?" He smiled brightly and waited for the other to nod. "We'll you can't tell anybody else." Another firm nod from Curtis allowed Dean to continue in a hushed secretive whisper. "I have two angels watching over me." He pulled back excitedly to gauge Johnny's reaction- not surprised at the confused face._

_"What?"_

_"Yup, I had a dream the other night and mommy and daddy were there. They told me they sent angels to protect me! And all I have to do is love them forever." The small auburn haired boy shook his head up and down proudly and pointed out past a tree some feet away. "Even now they're watching over me. Don't you see 'em?"_

_Johnny's head snapped in the direction, scanning for the apparitions but saw absolutely nothing. He was about to question the boy beside him but Dean's smile was too bright as he pointed out emphatically. "They're waving, Johnny! They're waving! Hurry! Wave back!" Ambrose flashed his sweet dimples and waved joyously, giggling the whole time. Unable to bring himself to dampen Dean, Johnny waved right along. It was strange but whatever made his friend feel happy couldn't be wrong._

:::

_"Dean? Why's that spot on your arm blue?"_

_"Don't worry about that, Johnny." Ambrose ashamedly yanked his sleeve down in attempts to cover up the bruise, going back to building his sand fort._

_"Okay..." The kid dropped his head back to the action figures in his hands. Awkwardness was not lost in either's part and Curtis couldn't help but mumble. "Does it hurt?"_

_Dean sat silently for a moment before laughing away the thick atmosphere. "Pssh, of course not! My foster parents are so stupid! They think they can hurt me but I'm invincible, Johnny, and you know why?" Ambrose stood to his feet triumphantly. "Seth and Roman are always going to save me!"_

:::

As Johnny shook his head free of the memories, he felt some responsibility for all of this. Never did he expect Ambrose to end up here. He felt like he let Dean down. Hopefully there would be room for atonement somewhere down the road; destiny was obviously granting him this chance reunion for a reason. Maybe he was supposed to be the one to save Dean. Just maybe. Satisfied with the revelation, Curtis peered back into the room through the slide window only to be startled beyond movement.

Too close for comfort, Ambrose stood- still bound by his straight jacket, eyes wide with some unreadable degree of joy and a smile twice as eerie. "I knew it was you, Johnny. I knew it was you the moment I saw you." Curtis didn't speak, only nodding and giving a stiff smile. "I missed you, friend." Ambrose hiked his eyebrows and moved a little closer. "We missed you."

"We? Who else...?" Finally drawing words, the intern questioned until realization washed over him. "Seth...Roman...They're still here?"

Dean nodded and motioned with his eyes. "Of course they are. They're always with me. I know its been some years and all, so if you want to reintroduce yourself," Johnny could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat as Dean slowly blinked and lowered his tone," just turn around."

A harsh chill rushed down the intern's spine and he dropped the medical chart, racing off to get anywhere away from the room. The dark feeling intruding his spirit was just too much. He had to leave and recollect himself. All he left in his hubbub were concerned whispers of what happened to his beloved childhood friend.

:::

Stunned but not surprised by the man's departure, Dean lowered his eyes. How typical but nonetheless hurtful. The fear in his friend's eyes...what was he afraid of? Was it...him?

"Dean!"

Instantly the bound man raised his head to see Seth and Roman running to his side. On the quicker step, Roman reached Dean and made easy work tugging at the strait jacket bindings until they submitted to his strength. Seth was just as swift to release the man from the remains of the jacket, tossing them away in the floor. Neither had a moment to breathe before the distraught patient lunged into them for consolation. His soft sobs only made the small comments of appreciation slur pathetically, causing more concern from Seth and Rome. Instantaneously they both saw the deep red and blue aftermath of the needle against Dean's pale skin. Rage flared in the largest man and Seth held Dean tighter. "I'm sorry," he whispered softly into the middle man's hair.

Infuriated, Roman jumped up to bolt from the room only to be stopped by Dean's frantic stumbling as he rushed towards him. "No, don't go!" The klutz of a man reached out for Roman desperately.

"Don't try and stop me, Dean! I need to make them pay!" Roman growled, pounding his fist on the metal door.

"Screw them, I don't need that!" Ambrose whined loudly. Huffily he pouted, a slight hint of embarrassment present. Folding his arms into himself, he sighed and locked eyes with the large man. "I need you, Rome. I need both of you right now."

An nerving stillness overtook the room as the big man wrestled with his next move. Roman clenched his jaw and glared at the door before closing his eyes to a deep inhale. Slowly he nodded and walked back to Dean. When he was merely a breath away, he moved a strong hand up to stroke the auburn haired man's cheek. "Okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Inching closer with each word, Roman affectionately pressed his lips to the soft pink ones before him. Instinctively, the big man's dominance forced its way into the interaction and the kiss became heated quick. Feeling the escalation, Dean dropped his head and pulled from the man to collect himself. "Dean, You have me."

"And you already know I'm not going anywhere," the smallest male added from where he stood. As his heartbeat became regular again, Ambrose ignored the self-satisfied smirking Roman to survey Seth. The dual-colored man held a loving smile at the two. Without a second thought, Dean took it upon himself to share the affection. He quickly pulled the surprised Seth in for a kiss as well, gaining an even bigger grin from Roman. His boys were so cute sometimes. They both pulled away soon after, cheeks reddened from the sweet peck. Roman's low wolf whistle echoed subtly against the wall as he fixed his pants. Dean snickered embarrassedly and pulled his two loves back in towards him once more.

"I just want us to be together for ever, you know? So next time you leave...take me with you. Take me anywhere you go. Just please...don't leave me here. "

:::

Meanwhile, the young interns lounged around the break room, chatting away about the many oddities of the hospital. As Cody reached mid sentence, Johnny came bursting through the door with a heightened look of disturbance imprinted on his face. Before anyone could inquire on turmoil, he pointed and yelled. "I knew I was right! I knew all along who he was!"

Cody knitted his eyebrows and shrugged, "He who? Who who was?"

"Ambrose! I know who he is!"

"Wait," Alex looked to Cody as he reevaluated the words, "do you mean that in a... like a psychological way? Like you spoke with him and had a breakthrough?"

"Yeah, or do you mean it in a literal way? Because we all know he's literally a patient here."

"No," Curtis stomped disbelievingly, "I know him!" His further outburst just caused the others to stare blankly until Daniel sat his coffee mug down and folded his arms.

"Is that going to affect your doctor status or something?"

Sighing heavily, Johnny backtracked to explain again. "What I'm saying is I know Dean, intimately." He calmed himself to normalcy, placing his hand on his chest and closing his eyes. "I loved him." The look of realization hit each man instantaneously and they nodded. "Yeah, but he couldn't love me back. We were good friends but his heart was already preoccupied." The young interns bowed their heads in reverence for the unrequited affection before nurse Otunga snooped in the conversation.

"Who's heart was what?"

The weasel like nurse was always prowling about for something to run and tell Orton; Barrett had forewarned them quite a bit. Otunga wasn't the type of guy they wanted to get tangled up with. Thinking quickly, Cody interjected. "I was sharing how my heart was occupied with the CEO of the Dibiase Drug Company."

"Oh," The male nodded in interest, "Ted Dibiase jr?"

"Yup," Cody could only nod with a smile. "This'll be our fifth year together."

Otunga shook his head and laughed. "That's pretty impressive. Dibiase is certainly a lucky guy but you should still be careful around here, Cody." Patting the young Rhodes' shoulder, the nurse commented. "You have quite the pretty little face." Every interns' eyes bulged towards the grinning man before he shrugged. "I'm just saying." Otunga winked to Rhodes' terrified expression as he sauntered out of the room.

"What a jerk," Daniel whispered in a quiet offhanded tone. He scanned over Cody who was still considerably disturbed, rubbing his shoulder in comfort. "Don't even worry about that. He's a creep."

"Yeah...I guess." Rhodes sipped from his latte and stared down into the mug. "Let's just move on, huh?" He waved his hand dismissively and struck up another conversation. "Why don't you tell us more about your childhood friend, Johnny?"

Each of the men turned expectantly and nodded. "Yeah, we're all ears."

The lighthearted conversations carried over for quite some time even through night fall, the interns eating a nice little faux dinner. Still Johnny was not completely there. So high off the realization of who Dean was, he sat in critical thought, biting his lips so hard to the point of bleeding. The nagging obligatory feeling was weighing heavy on him. Just to go see the man. He needed that much to ease the feeling. Decidedly, Curtis stood, gaining the attention of the others. "I just want to check up on Dean, make sure he's fine." Simple nods gave him the okay, and the others went about their conversation- allowing Johnny to hastily leave their presence.

He walked with purpose through the noticeably dim and unhappy halls, rushing to reach his friends room and ease his tension. He just had to. The man approached the desired door quickly but stopped when his eyes caught the unbelievable sight before him. Against a wall around the corner, he registered the fact that he saw shadows- actual shadows- clawing at Dean's door. Their ominous murmuring is faint but their scratching signifies their intentions; their want to enter the room. There was no time to rub his eyes questionably and double take as another sound hit the intern's ears; this one enough to turn him a few different shades of red.

Moans.

Soft giggles followed by rather muffled moans.

Curtis couldn't stay modest for too long before fear washed over him again. The sound seemed to further entice the shadowy figures as well. Instantly, they tried bombarding the door with all their might. So much commotion, so much noise , and then they expanded only to disperse; the hallway lighting up considerably as the figures slithered away through nearby doors and windows. Creepy.

Taken aback, the intern stood with his mouth agape. Questioning etched itself on his face and he held his fast beating heart. When did it even start accelerating? Not that it didn't have justified reasoning, but what exactly did he just witness?

So lost was the man as he attempted to comprehend everything; he never did though as more moaning drew him away from his thoughts and around to the door. Cautiously, he looked through the peek window, curious to what was transpiring on the other side. Curiosity turned to downright baffled inquiry with what he saw.

Dean was no longer bound by the straight jacket- the discarded material strewn aside. Instead he lied on his back on the bed, seemingly in the throes of passion, as a large figure moved under the sheets above him. Curtis became quickly entranced as another immodest moan spilled from the patients throat. Dean's flushed face in that moment was pure risqué beauty as he panted through his smiling roseate lips; as his thin pale knuckles gripped the crisp white sheets under him; as his messy tousled mop of hair clung to his face desperately; as his lunar-illuminated body arched upward into the perfect bridge. That was an image the intern had only imagined seeing so many years ago. Johnny had to bite his own tongue to suppress the effects of the lurid scene. Another unusually high whimper for Ambrose's raspy voice, caused the man to turn away from the door bashfully. Johnny punched himself mentally, trying to reason. Like an idiot, he'd became too enamored with the scene to actually see the bigger picture.

Somehow, someway, someone got into the room with Dean.

Equipped with the new motivational outlook, Johnny attacked the door, jamming his key into the lock and attempting to pry the door open. He yanked urgently but it seemed to no avail, choosing to alternate between banging on the metal and calling Ambrose's name. "Dean! Dean! Open up!" For minutes he worked the door over until he found it hard to believe he wasn't getting a response. Stupefied, he peered back into the peek window, checking on Dean only he didn't receive Ambrose in anyway.

On the receiving end of the door, hypnotic ember eyes of brown stared back, stopping Curtis' heart momentarily. Begrudgingly slow, he backed away for the door trembling. "Wha...w-who...?"

The eyes smiled with a far too gentle nature as a male voice carried through the small window. "If you could excuse us." A second later and the window was slammed back shut; the motion knocking unprepared Johnny too the floor. As he rushed to collect himself off the floor, he jolted at another hand touching his shoulder. Instantly he calmed seeing Daniel. "Are you okay, man?" Bryan cocked an eyebrow up worriedly and reached his hand down. "You were gone a pretty long time. We wanted to make sure you were alright."

Curtis flinched if only for a second before shaking his head. "No. No, Im fine. I'm fine." He dusted himself off and took off down the hallway, mumbling incoherently to himself.

Daniel eyed the situation with skepticism. That was far too suspicious for him not to look into. Curtis was weird but never so...odd. "Ambrose," the short man whispered, stroking his beard in puzzlement, "What did you do?"

:::

The next morning warmth blanketed the abnormally blissful face of Ambrose through the steel bars of the window. The smile on his face hadn't left since his escapades of the night before. Fondly every moment replayed in his mind as he snuggled into the usually cold white sheets. Euphoric nostalgia.

So lost was he that when the door cracked open, he didn't even budge from the sheets to greet Dolph Ziggler, one of the better nurses.

Ziggler smiled and tied up his short bleach blonde locks. He clapped once to get Ambrose's attention before leaning down to him. "C'mon Deano, you ready for your shower or you plan on sleeping all day?"

It was obvious that the idea was contemplated, but Dean got up without a fight, happily obliging the nurse. "Let's get the day started."

The shower areas were particularly small. It only nursed a number of people on each hall and everyone had their designated shower times- by that logic there was never more than one person in the area. It was clear to all the patients, however, that the arrangement was only made to keep eagle eyes on each individual. Sometimes the place seemed less like a hospital and more like a prison but Dean figured that out a long time ago. Old knowledge wasn't enough to pull him from his high; he showered with very little worrying his mind.

Respectfully Dolph stood with his back to Dean, allowing the man some much needed privacy. Clinically delusional or not, there were just some civilities the man deserved. And those small tokens of humanity gave Ziggler his reputation of being among the best nurses. Offering another token, Dolph piped up. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Ambrose."

"Better than you know," the man called back from under the shower's spray.

"I see," Dolph laughed, chewing on his gum with a bright smile. "So was it a good dream or good news? Or is this all classified?"

Ambrose chuckled and rinsed his hair out. "Oh no, you are not getting full disclosure from me."

"Oh I see."

"Yeah," Dean smirked, "just trust me. It was good- no...better than good."

"Perfect?"

"More than that," Ambrose smiled.

Ziggler cackled to himself before shrugging amusedly. "I heard you know one of Barrett's interns." He called over his shoulder, "That's gotta be pretty exciting too. Was he like a friend or something?"

"Yeah, we were. I think he remembers me. Not too sure." The blast of the shower calmed to a stop as Dean finished up, wiping water off his eyes. He shook his locks dry and placed his hands on his hips inquisitively. "By the way, where is Barrett? I haven't seen him around, you know."

"You're right." Dolph shuffled from one foot to the other in thought. "I don't know where he is." The blonde stood thinking for a long while and shrugged. "Could be out sick. Whatever, I'll just give him a call later, check up on him. No biggie." Sensing Dean's satisfaction with the proposal, Ziggler patted himself on the back before calling back over his shoulder. "You ready? Is it safe to turn around now?"

Smoothing a white towel around his waist, Ambrose chuckled. "Yeah it's safe. Now let's go; I'm freezing here."

"Sure. Sure."

Ziggler spun on his heels and reached for Dean's hand only for his eyes to catch something else. Something red. Deep red rivulets streamed down the younger man's left thigh, mixing and mingling with the water that still sat there. "Oh man," Dolph nervously breathed out, trying to keep himself from panic.

"What?" Dean implored with growing worry. "What's wrong?"

"We gotta..." Ziggler's eyes shot around in a whirlwind and he pulled his hair before nodding to himself. "Yeah, we gotta go. Come on, we gotta go right now!" Dolph snatched the patient by his arm and rushed him out the shower.

"Where are we going?!" Ambrose clung to his towel for dear life as he was dragged through the halls.

"Medical Exam Room." Dolph turned and looked down at the still running blood and hurried even faster. "I don't know what that's about but I'm not taking my chances."

* * *

Now I'm off to work on In the Asylum :3


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